It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. Smoking in outdoor dining areas is set to be a thing of the past as the Victorian government seeks to ban the habit.

Smoking will be banned in outdoor dining and drinking areas in the state, while public building entrances will also become smoke free under the new proposed laws.

As it stands, the proposal has no start date nor any permanent guidelines, but business owners will need to come round to the idea that their premises will need to be smoke free in the near future.

Health Minister David Davis says the policy will be in effect in the next five years after the government consults health professionals and businesses.

Hospitality businesses are now contemplating their options, while wondering if their smoking customers will be returning without the assurance of being able to smoke.

Melissa Cakes Cafe manager Effie Katsakis says the large outdoor decking area is almost exclusively occupied by smoking customers, and has mixed feelings about the proposed ban.

“People come here specifically because we have an outdoor area that is utilised for smoking. They know it’s warm and they know they can sit outside and smoke,” she tells Neos Kosmos.

“But a lot of people don’t want to sit outside, they don’t want to sit anywhere near it if there’s smoking in the area.

“They in fact complain if there’s smoke coming into other areas of restaurant.”

The outdoor decking area is actually split in two, to allow non-smokers the chance to sit outside and not be bothered by smoke. But the nicest area of the decking is sectioned off for smokers, something that has non-smokers irritated.

“It’s a little bit of a double edged sword. I’m literally caught in the middle, trying to please both sets of people,” Ms Katsakis says.

“They’re saying we should be able to sit outside as non-smokers and enjoy the view without having the smokers inhibit us.

“And then we’ve got the smokers saying we’ve got a right to smoke, we’re outside, we’re not harming anybody.”

A similar ban was proposed for Oakleigh’s Greek Mecca of Eaton Mall a couple of months ago, and was met with outrage from many.

Restaurateurs and customers alike signed petitions to keep the area smoking friendly.

The government hopes to take a note out of other states that have had the ban in place, some as early as 2006.

The Baw Baw Shire, east of Melbourne, has had a successful year-long trial of blanket bans to outdoor smoking.

Eighty four per cent of traders said the ban has a positive or no impact on their business.

In its own findings, the Cancer Council discovered that 49 per cent of the 4,000 Victorians surveyed said they had avoided outdoor dining areas in the past year due to smoking.

The survey also found that one in five people would visit cafes and restaurants more often if outdoor smoking bans were introduced.